


A Snowball Fight for the Ages

by fictionalinfinity



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Gwaine Fest, Gwaine Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Magic Revealed, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Minor Angst, Snowball Fights, everyone has fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:21:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21853633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalinfinity/pseuds/fictionalinfinity
Summary: When Gwaine wants to spend the day in wintery weather, things start to snowball from there.
Relationships: Gwaine & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine & Knights (Merlin), Gwaine & Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine & Merlin (Merlin), Gwaine & Percival (Merlin), Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin), Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Knights & Merlin (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 168
Collections: Gwaine Fest 2019: Holiday Exchange





	A Snowball Fight for the Ages

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wesawbears](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wesawbears/gifts).



> hope you enjoy and that it fulfills all your holiday wishes ;)

It wasn’t often that it snowed in Camelot, so when it finally did happen… Well. Merlin had never seen anything quite like it. 

It was strange, honestly. To see everyone go mad about some fluffy white crystals, that is. He’d dreaded it when he first moved to Camelot and became Arthur’s servant. In Ealdor, snow had meant the loss of a day of work, the risk of freezing to death or starving because the frost had destroyed the crop. There was nothing to like about a snow fall. He would  _ never _ like snow. 

That is, until he met  _ Gwaine.  _

It was a few months after Arthur had knighted the Knights of the Round Table that it happened. Merlin woke up that day and gave a quick glance out of his window only to groan. Snow was already piled high as people did their best to march through it, huddled in coats. Merlin said a quick prayer that the weather was a bit more fortunate for his mother before getting ready to face the day. 

“Merls! There you are,” Gwaine cheered the moment he left Gaius’ chambers. Not that Merlin had a problem with his dear friend, but the enthusiasm was a little strange and worrisome. What had happened?

“What’s going on? Is Arthur alright?” Merlin asked, frowning. Gwaine shook his head frantically. 

“What? Arthur’s fine. No, Merlin, you have to come with me!” Gwaine ordered, grabbing hold of Merlin’s wrist and tugging. He had no choice but to follow, jogging a few steps to catch up. 

“Might I ask where you’re taking me?” Merlin laughed, going along with it. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Gwaine so ecstatic. Except maybe about alcohol, but he usually didn’t try to make Merlin participate.  _ Usually.  _

Without missing a beat, Gwaine turned back and flashed Merlin a cheeky smile. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s  _ snowing _ outside!”

Merlin groaned. “Don’t tell me you actually like cold weather,” he pleaded. He couldn’t believe that Gwaine would’ve liked this time of year at all. Although, perhaps he didn’t dread it quite the same as Merlin because for many years he’d had the upbringing of a noble who wouldn’t have had to worry about stocking enough wood for fires or enough food to eat. 

Not bothering to put up anymore of a fight, Merlin let himself be dragged if only so he could see what about the snow Gwaine was so excited about. Eventually he found himself on the training field as Gwaine whooped with excitement. 

The knights along with Arthur were huddled together for warmth in the field. Arthur looked especially disgruntled. Merlin could tell they were cold even under the wool lined cloaks, so he likely stood no chance at staying warm. Already he could feel the cold nipping at him. When no one was looking, he cast a quick spell to keep the cold away from his clothes. 

Lancelot caught Merlin’s eye, giving him a warning look. Merlin smirked in reply. No one else seemed to notice the exchange. 

Immediately, most of the chill went away. However, his hands and his face were not quite so lucky. The harsh wind beat against them, and he was sure his ears would go pink soon. Oh well. It was better than nothing. 

“Ah, Merlin, nice of you to join us,” Arthur greeted sarcastically. Merlin laughed a little at the bits of ice stuck in the prince’s hair. Arthur didn’t quite seem to notice. “Now, Gwaine, do you want to tell us why you needed us out here so early?” He continued, turning to the man who was now practically buzzing with anticipation. Merlin made a face, confused at how someone could enjoy being outside at the moment. 

_ “That, _ Princess, is the question of the hour, isn’t it?” Gwaine laughed a little, sweeping some snowflakes from his long hair. “Have none of you guessed it, really?” 

“Enlighten us, so we can go back inside please!” Elyan called out, his teeth chattering. Gwaine rolled his eyes as the others snickered. 

“We’re going to have a snowball fight! With teams, forts, and everything!” Gwaine announced proudly. His proclamation was followed by a rather awkward moment of silence as everyone looked at each other in confusion.

Percival was the first to speak up. “What’s a… snowball fight?” 

“Sweet, innocent, Percival,” Gwaine cooed, smiling when Percival blushed. “A  _ snowball fight _ is when you take one of these…” he began, leaning over to grab a handful of snow. He molded it into a ball for a few moments, studying it appreciatively. ``...and do this!”

At that very moment, Gwaine launched the snowball like a projectile directly into Elyan’s face. 

“Oi!” Elyan spluttered while the others chuckled, wiping the snow from his face. With a low growl, he bent over to grab a handful of snow to throw back at Gwaine. 

“That’s the spirit!” Gwaine cheered, expertly dodging the snow. 

“Is there a… strategy to this game?” Leon asked, clearly bewildered. 

“Well, of course there is! We’ll split into teams, build up bases, and fight to the last man standing! I’m sure you’ll love it if you can loosen up a bit,” Gwaine explained. Leon frowned at the tease but got over it quickly. 

“I’ll play, if only so I can win and get back at you for dragging me out into the cold this morning,” Arthur proposed with a haughty air, but Merlin could tell the prince was a little excited at the prospect. Well, if Arthur was already doing it… 

“I suppose I’ll join in too. Even if I  _ do _ hate snow,” Merlin shrugged. Lancelot piped up not soon after to say he’d play as well. 

“What about you, Percy?” Gwaine asked hopefully. Percival nodded. 

“Come on Leon, Elyan! It’ll be fun!” Gwaine pleaded and they gave in as well. 

“I’ll team with Leon. Merlin, will you join us?” Arthur declared, turning to look at Merlin. 

Merlin considered it for a moment before coming to a realization. “No, actually, I think I’ll go with Lancelot,” he replied innocently. Lancelot gave a tired sigh, immediately understanding why he’d been chosen. 

“Don’t sound so excited, Lance,” Gwaine snorted. “I guess that leaves me, Elyan, and Percy. Come on lads, we’ve got a fort to build.”

The groups spread out immediately. Merlin and Lancelot went to their own little corner of the field. As they began to pack together snow to build walls, Lancelot spoke to Merlin in a hushed voice. 

“You can’t be seriously thinking of… cheating,” he finished awkwardly. 

“Oh, come on. They won’t see me. Besides, when am I going to get another chance to, I don’t know… let loose like this, again? Please, Lance. Just this once,” Merlin pleaded. Lancelot looked dubious, but eventually gave in. After all, when would they get another chance to just let loose like this again? There was no use in wasting it by fighting. 

They were the first to finish their fort, mostly due to Merlin pitching in with magic. While they waited, Merlin and Lancelot built up their stock of snowballs. Gwaine’s team was quick to follow, while Arthur and Leon finished last. Gwaine stood from behind his fort, drawing attention to himself.

“Are we all ready?” Gwaine called, followed by a chorus of yesses. “Let’s say… winning team gets to turn the others into men of snow!” He nodded and then shouted “begin!”

Merlin ducked beneatht the wall of their fort, grabbing a small pile of snowballs. Without looking up, he began to toss them over the wall. Each one found their mark, hitting the other team members right in the face. 

While the others were flabbergasted by Merlin’s sudden ability to aim, Lancelot grinned cheekily at the sight of Merlin’s golden glowing eyes. They were sure to win. 

Some snowballs managed to make it over their own wall, but with his magic he was quick to send them back where they came from. The game was going in their favor and neither of the other teams could quite figure out why. 

“Merls,” a voice whispered from behind.

Merlin jumped in surprise, blinking away the gold in his eyes. 

“Gwaine?! What are you doing over here?!” Merlin hissed. Lancelot glanced between Merlin and Gwaine, anxious to see if Gwaine had spotted the magic. Merlin also noticed Elyan and Percival coming running around the back of the fort. 

“What do you say we make Princess over there eat his words? Join us, eh?” Gwaine offered with a smirk. At the twinkle in Gwaine’s eyes, Merlin could hardly deny him. 

“Oh, alright,” Merlin rolled his eyes. 

“Yes!” Gwaine cheered, pumping his fist in the air. The rest of the team laughed at his enthusiasm before their attention turned back to the snowballs flying over their walls. 

The new allies made quick work of defeating Arthur and Leon. Even without his magic to aid them, they were unbeatable. Gwaine flashed him a roguish grin before throwing their last snowball over the wall. Just when they turned to make more, a cry of surrender sounded from the other team. 

Gwaine gave Merlin a tight victory hug, cheering the whole time. Merlin found his smile growing brighter. 

“We’ll give you the honour of turning Arthur into a snowman, whaddya say Merls?”

“That sounds brilliant,” Merlin grinned. 

That was how Merlin found himself piling snow around Prince Arthur Pendragon while his own knights cheered the manservant on. 

“I’m warning you, Merlin,” Arthur growled. “The list of chores will be  _ endless _ if you don’t stop this right now.”

“Come on, Princess! You lost, get over it!” Gwaine shouted. “Or can you not handle the fact that your  _ manservant _ beat you?”

Arthur continued to grumble for a while longer, but eventually Merlin took pity on him and let him escape the snow prison. 

While it had been a fun way to spend their morning, they couldn’t spend all day in the snow. Arthur had his princely duties to attend to while the knights had places to be. Merlin had a list of chores a mile long to complete, so he was running around the castle for most of the day.

Just as he rounded a corner, Gwaine jumped in front of him to stop him. 

“You scared me!” Merlin chided, clutching the laundry in his hands tightly. “What’s up now?” He asked at seeing the look in Gwaine’s eyes. 

“Just come with me. You’ll see,” Gwaine gestured, walking ahead of him. 

“Come on, Gwaine, not again. I’ve got to serve Arthur dinner!” Merlin called after him. Gwaine turned around with a smile. 

“Don’t worry about it! Arthur sent me.”

“Fine,” Merlin groaned, running after the man. 

Sure enough, Merlin was led to Arthur’s chambers in the end. Gwaine, just like he had done in the morning, avoided questions about the whole thing. Merlin was starting to get rather annoyed. 

“Merlin!” Arthur greeted cheerily from his seat the moment they entered, gesturing his goblet of wine at the pair. Merlin’s eyebrows rose. The knights were scattered around the room and most surprising, dinner was already on the table. 

“Come, sit,” Arthur told him, trying to stand but stumbling over his own feet. When it didn’t work he quickly sat back down.

“Sire, are you drunk?” Merlin asked, trying not to laugh. 

“Of course not!” Arthur defended at the same time as Gwaine declared him assuredly inebriated. 

“Mind telling me what’s really going on?” Merlin leaned over and whispered to Gwaine. 

“Well, since Uther is… shall we say,  _ indisposed, _ and they’re not having a great feast, Arthur wanted to do something for Yule. A little surprising, but this is the man who knighted us on a whim in an abandoned castle with no kingdom, so not entirely out of character,” Gwaine shrugged. Merlin gasped.

“Is it really Yule? I’d forgotten!” Merlin exclaimed. Gwaine had a few laughs at his expense after that. 

It was a good way to spend the holiday, really. For once, Merlin wasn’t serving. He was just one of the men. It was… nice. 

Unlike the other men, however, Merlin had chosen not to get drunk out of his mind. That was not in the interest of keeping his secret, so he’d watched as the men lost more and more of their inhibitions, completely unbothered. Arthur made a few comments on it, wondering why Merlin ‘was always in the tavern’ but wouldn’t drink in front of his friends.

Merlin blamed Gaius for that one. 

Most of the men had fallen asleep (Gwaine’s head rested on Percival’s shoulder, while Percival had an arm around Gwaine, he noted with amusement), and it was rather late in the evening. Merlin began to clear away some of the meal and stacking the plates, hoping to escape to his own bed soon, when someone snorted awake on the other side of the room. 

“Merls,” Gwaine whisper called to him, standing up awkwardly and revealing himself to be the one to have woken up. 

“Yeah?” Merlin replied quietly. Gwaine blinked a few times against the light of the candles before refocusing. 

“I, uh…” He began. Merlin gestured for him to continue. “I saw you, you know…” Gwaine trailed off. He huffed in annoyance before thrusting his hands out and wiggling his fingers in a strange fashion. “In the snowball fight, I saw you!”

Merlin froze. 

“...you did?”

“‘Course I did! I’m not blind,” he laughed. 

Every instinct of his told him to run. His hands began to shake and he bit his lip nervously. 

“What are you going to do?” Merlin asked stiffly. 

“Well, for one, I was thinking we could use it to prank the Princess, because you’ve been holding out on me! And, uh… Merlin? You alright mate?” Gwaine asked, suddenly noticing his anxious demeanor. 

“You mean… you don’t hate me?” He asked, still trembling. Gwaine’s expression plummeted. 

“What?! Of course not! You’re my best mate! Nothing could ever change that,” Gwaine assured him. Nervous laughter bubbled out of Merlin. 

“I’m… I’m glad!” He replied, smiling widely. Was this  _ real? _ He couldn’t quite believe that someone else could know and still care about him. It certainly  _ seemed _ real. The chance to have another confidant… suddenly the air felt lighter, and it became a little easier to stand up tall. Gwaine walked towards him, engulfing him in a tight hug. Merlin hugged him back, melting into the affection. 

“Shh! ‘M tryna sleep!” Arthur called, rolling over in his sheets. Merlin and Gwaine laughed. 

“We’ll talk more in the morning, alright?” Gwaine asked, pulling away. 

Merlin nodded. “Of course. I’m sure you have plenty of questions.”

Gwaine smiled. “You guessed it!”

That night, as Merlin looked out of the window to the city covered in snow, he decided maybe he did like the snow. As long as Gwaine was beside him, he wouldn’t mind if it snowed every day. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! kudos and comments appreciated


End file.
